At the request of the manager of iRobot’s Digital Electrical Engineering group, I shot a series of individual headshots and this group photo. I was uncharacteristically unprepared having just come from a prior meeting. It took forever to dial in the flash exposure I wanted and then the batteries in two of three flash heads died mid-session. Fortunately, everyone was patient and we managed to get the set of desired images. In the future I must remember to always scout my location and establish my lighting before the subject(s) arrive.

Maya has been attending soccer camp this week with friends Sarrinagh and Fiona who joined her this evening to bake a soccer-themed cake to be consumed by the hoards tomorrow. From the sample I eventually obtained, I can attest that this was indeed a gold medal cake. Nala was a stand-in for Maya who did not want to be photographed. I suspect the girls employed some cake batter to solicit her noble, if incorrectly oriented, pose.

While I was in Alaska iRobot had hired two new General Managers and a recently promoted one, pictured here, announced he would be stepping down. His original plan was to move from France to the United States but his family situation prevented him from doing so and he will be returning to his homeland to continue as our head of international sales. Under his leadership, the Home Business unit exceeded $100M in quarterly gross sales for the first time ever and a small celebration was held in the office today to thank him for all his contributions.

Catching up at work has left me little time for photography. Maya was only moderately cooperative as I sought to take her picture this evening. She started out by making faces and then spinning away on her bar stool. Surprisingly I was not too unhappy with the resulting image and given no other options will share it for today’s post. Nicolai is busy working at Verrill Farm and Kyle continues to manage his business (mostly from the dining room). I have still not settled back into my normal sleep cycle and Jeanine seems only modestly more re-acclimated.

Although she was at camp for three weeks, Maya returned with a surprisingly small number of photos on the camera that I lent her. On the evening depicted in this photo (taken two weeks ago) she and her cabin mates requested permission to build an impromptu fire. Instructed not to burn down the cabin in the process the girls were allowed to build this small inferno and Maya had the good sense to photograph it for the enjoyment of her family.

This weekend I played in the New England Soccer Open (NESO) tournament with a team composed of players from Acton, Boxborough, and Concord. We placed 2nd in a field of 11 teams competing in 1 match yesterday and four today. The combination of heat, humidity, and the number of games made for a very exhausting experience. Still, it was fun playing with several new teammates and I made some nice contributions on the pitch.

Kyle celebrated his actual 20th birthday with his Aunt Susan and cousin Johnie while Jeanine and I were in Alaska, his brother was in Nicaragua, and Maya was at Farm & Wilderness camp in Vermont. This weekend we celebrated as a family and he is seen here tossing a salad prepared by his mother for the family dinner celebration. It seems like only yesterday that he was our little “Champino” the nick name we used for him as a toddler or “Gaga” the name he was called by Maya before she had all her speach skills worked out.

For the last three weeks, Maya has been attending Farm & Wilderness camp in southern Vermont. The last day is always bittersweet as she says goodbye to her friends. This year her apprenticeship was Rocks and Ropes. In a letter she sent to us she described and illustrated a cantilevered climb which she completed successfully. For the third year running she harvested a chicken for the camp’s end-of-session banquet. Maya has requested that she be allowed to attend camp for a seven-week session in the future. I can barely stand the idea of her being away from us for so long but I also see how she returns from camp each year a stronger, more confident and capable girl with deep friendships. Due to my soccer tournament, I was unable to join Jeanine on the overnight retrieval mission that I look forward to each summer.

The last thing I would have ever expected to encounter while climbing on a glacier is a porcupine. This fellow had wandered onto the glacier and become lost in the maze-like landscape. Weak and stressed from the ordeal we decided that he would not survive without our intervention. The woman who wrangled the porcupine into the backpack deserves most of the credit for the rescue. She was guiding another group of climbers. Once in the backpack, we all took turns carrying the heavier than you would expect porcupine off the glacier and into a forest setting that looked more like his natural habitat. When released he made a quick retreat into the underbrush and we all felt very happy about the rescue.

Our last day in Alaska is mostly spent driving from the Kenai Peninsula back to Anchorage. We found time for a short hike down to a beautiful vista of the Russian River where Jeanine took this nice photograph of me.

We also had just enough time to make a quick sprint to Seward and brief excursion into the Kenai Fjords National Park for views of the Exit Glacier.

I think it is safe to say that our Alaska adventure exceeded our expectations and satisfied a lifelong desire to visit. I hope to return again with the children so that we may share the grandeur and magnificence of this great land with them.

Thus far on our Alaskan safari we have spotted a half dozen or so Coastal Brown Bears (the more accurate term for Grizzly Bears in this region). These sighting have been from about a quarter of a mile away (which many would argue is plenty close). Today, however, our objective is to experience these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats from a more intimate distance. We will fly by seaplane from Homer to Katmai National Park where we will spend the day observing these bears as they fish for salmon, interact with each other, and nap.

We board our de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter (this level of detail is for my brother who is a pilot) from its lake side dock after donning the hip waders we will need to remain dry as we hike around in the bears preferred fishing grounds. The flight to the north end of Katmai takes about an hour and we are very fortunate to have another day of great weather. En route we fly over Augustine Volcano which last erupted in 2006 sending an ash plume 9 miles into the atmosphere. Steam emerges from the lava dome, a reminder that this remains an active volcano. In a state where they stopped counting the number of lakes after they got to 3 million, a float plane is far more practical than any other form of transportation. Our pilot lands on a tiny lake (about 2000 feet long) which lies about 6 miles east of enormous Kukaklek Lake. Here we deplane and hike less than a mile to a nearby river where our pilot spotted bears during our approach. In less than five minutes we spot our first bear and sit down along the bank of the river to observe.

Bears do not view humans as prey (provided you don’t run away from them) nor do they regard us as a threat (provided you don’t surprise them, come between a mother and her cubs, or try to take their food). If you sit quietly they well recognize your presence and then happily ignore you while they go about their business of being bears. Essentially this involves eating and sleeping.

Over the course of the day we observes a dozen or so bears. Some large, some small, some blonde, some brown. The larger the bear the more deference paid by the other bears. Smaller ones are quickly chased off prime fishing locations and often must sacrifice their catch. After downing 4 or 5 salmon it is time for a 30 minute power nap. Jeanine started our vacation nearly paralyzed with fear over a bear encounter. By the end of the day she was happy to take a nap with a number of bears just yards away. I took 100s of photos over the course of the afternoon some from as close as 10 feet. I have not really had time to narrow down my favorite shots and will probably replace photos here with better ones as time permits.

We returned to Homer by 6pm which still left several hours of sunlight by which to explore. We decided to try and make it to Voznesenka, one of four Russian Old Believer villages on the peninsula. It is situated beyond the end of the paved East End Road, a distance of approximately 23 miles from Homer and the last mile or two is on a gravel road which descends to the sea on a very precarious grade. We wisely opted to abandon the car and make the final approach on foot. Unfortunately the hike turned into more than we bargained for. Having left our day packs (with water and rain gear) at the car and with massive storm clouds rapidly approaching we decided to turn back before we could find our way to the small village. Old Believers separated from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66 and value privacy and seclusion.

We spent the evening at a B&B in Soldotna, a convenient stopping point as we started making our way back to Anchorage for our flight tomorrow.

Our travels today take us to the Kenai Peninsula via Anchorage. Our first stop is in the Dena’ina Athabascan village of Eklutna with a population of 70. It lies 24 miles northeast of Anchorage two miles from the mouth of the Eklutna River at the head of the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. The last of eight villages that existed before construction of the Alaska Railroad brought an influx of American colonists around 1915. First settled more than 800 years ago, it is the oldest inhabited location in the Anchorage area. Russian Orthodox missionaries arrived in the 1840s. The melding of Orthodox Christianity and native practices resulted in the brightly-colored spirit houses which can be seen at the Eklutna Cemetery, in use since 1650 and now a historical park.

We continued on to Anchorage where we stopped for breakfast and a 2 hour tour of the Anchorage Museum, the state’s largest. Displays in the Alaska History Gallery delve into Russian occupation, the gold rush, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center provides a glimpse of the diverse culture of the Alaska Native peoples.

As we continue in the direction of Homer we stop frequently along the Turnagain Arm. Our second time on this scenic highway but the first without rain. We pause briefly at Bird Point which offers exceptional views. The mudflats of Turnagain Arm are treacherous and have caused several deaths over the years. Tides here have an extreme range of 40 ft and are among the highest in the world second only to the Bay of Fundy between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in southeastern Canada.

We frequently encounter the Russian River, which is of a color I have never seen before and is accurately represented in the photo.

Homer, our destination for the evening, also known as the “Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea” is located on the shores of beautiful Kachemak Bay. Nestled among rolling hills, this seaside and truly seagoing community of 5000 is comprised of artistic and outdoorsy types. The Homer Spit is a geographical landmark which distinguishes the town. The spit is a 4.5-mile long, narrow strip of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay.

During the last four days no flightseeing tours have left Talkeetna due to unsafe conditions (dense clouds while flying small craft between mountain peaks yields poor outcomes). This morning we are thrilled to learn that there has been a break in the weather overnight and that our flight is scheduled to go. We skip our B&B continental breakfast in favor of a more robust and delicious meal at the Roadhouse Inn (I had raspberry and walnut sourdough pancakes – a house specialty) before making our way to the airport. People describe the Denali Park tour as the most amazing flight of their lives. We went in with very high expectations and still were not prepared for the magnificent grandeur we witnessed. The photos and brief video below do not do justice to the experience but may give you a sense of the environment.

After exploring the various glaciers and mountains including a 360 degree view of Mount Denali from the air we landed on Ruth’s Glacier where we had about 30 minutes on the snow covered ice to take in the majesty of the surroundings. The landing involved a series of highly banked turns with our wingtips seemingly feet from the adjacent mountains as we weaved our way down into the valley containing our glacier landing site. The instant the plane’s skis made contact with the snow the captain made a high G-force left turn before running out of glacier and setting us into position for take off. That maneuver triggered an adrenaline rush equivalent to what I remember from my skydiving days.

Denali Flightseeing from Carl Calabria on Vimeo.

For anyone considering a visit to Alaska I would endorse a flightseeing tour of Denali and glacier landing as a must include activity (weather permitting). Upon return to Talkeetna we immediately set off for the Matanuska Glacier, our primary destination for the day where we have a guide scheduled to meet us for a private tour of the glacier and ice climbing instructions for me.

After being fitted with the necessary crampons and boots (special ones with inflexible sole required for ice climbing) we drove to the base of the glacier and began our ascent. The Matanuska Glacier is a 27 miles long by 4 miles wide valley glacier which flows about 1 foot per day. It is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States. Our guide, Reese, educates us about glaciers and instructs us as to the proper techniques for ascent and descent as we tour the massive blue toned chunk of ice.

Jeanine is content to man the cameras as I do a little bit of technical ice climbing. Reese belays me on an 80 foot ascent which includes traversing a crevasse that is easily 100 feet deep. Very thrilling and very tiring.

As we descend the glacier we encounter another climbing group who have discovered a porcupine stranded on an ice ledge, miles from his native habitat. We collectively decide that absent a rescue this animal will die in short order. The rescue of this porcupine will be the subject of an entire post that I will prepare after returning to Concord.

It has been a long day filled with more beauty than one can imagine. We opt for a Palmer hotel, soft bed, and the opportunity to watch more Olympics over the planned evening of camping in a nearby forest.

We broke camp at 5:30am this morning and enjoyed an unexpectedly tasty breakfast (first experience with dehydrated food which proved quite good, even by Jeanine standards) before catching the 6:30am bus to the park entrance. On the bus we were fortunate to meet and enjoy the company of the Pitcher family from Homer, AK. He is a professional photographer and author of several travel guide books including one of Alaska which he gifted to us. It proved to be far better than the Frommer’s book we had been using and offered many great suggestions which we used for the remainder of our travels.

Today we are destined for the town of Talkeetna. En route we stop at the famous Mary’s McKinley View Lodge for lunch.

Alaska legend Mary Carey came to this area as a widow in the early 1960’s and promptly homesteaded 100 miles from the nearest road at a spot with the best view of McKinley she’d ever seen. Mary Carey was friends with the great bush pilot Don Sheldon and constantly advocated the building of the Parks Highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks to improve access to the Denali National Park. When she wrote to then-governor Bill Egan about the project, he famously replied that, “Alaska already has two roads, how many do you want in one state?” When the Parks Highway was finally constructed in 1973, it passed by her homestead where she built a lodge which offers some of the best views of Mount Denali. She then proceeded to write 16 books, including “Alaska, Not For A Woman.” Ownership of the lodge has passed to her daughter who is also an accomplished author of children’s books.

Rumored to be the inspiration for the television show “Northern Exposure”, Talkeetna is a quirky historic town located at the confluence of the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna Rivers. The townsite was established in 1919 when the railroad surveyed and auctioned 80 lots for $14.25 each. The downtown area is classified as a National Historic Site, with buildings dating from the early 1900s including Nagley’s General Store, Fairview Inn and the Talkeetna Roadhouse where Jeanine discovered Pasties (a Michigan Upper Peninsula food of her childhood – a hearty meat and root vegetable pastry).

Inclement weather conditions cancelled the flightseeing tour of Denali we had reserved for this evening so we booked the first flight in the morning and hoped for better conditions. We settled into our lodging at the Meandering Moose Inn and enjoyed watching the Olympics from a very cozy bed. Click on any photo for a larger view and click again for the full image.